Top 10 Multi-Colored Cycles

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Souvenir Snatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Souvenir Snatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kev_Walker">Kev Walker</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Dual</em><em> Shot</em>, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck.</p>
<p>There's something about those strange, black birds. They're too clever by half. The family-minded crow, with her flock of scores, or the lonelier raven, grand and imposing. Folks have been writing about them for as long as they've had writing, and they were musing about the talkative little creatures well before any human hand put pen to paper, or chisel to stone.</p>
<p>The First Nations of the American Pacific Northwest variously mythologize the raven as a creator god and a trickster god. There are multiple crow-riders in Hindu mythology, sometimes fearsome and inauspicious, other times heralding justice, spiritual rigor, and conscientiousness. To the Irish gods, ravens were inextricable from warfare, reliably assembling to clean the flesh from the fields of battle. The Welsh god Bran is named so: literally meaning <em>raven</em>. The raven is the first bird mentioned in the Bible. They are prophecy, they are thought, they are memory. Even more, their characters exhibit industry and laziness, carnality and temperance, discipline and boredom.</p>
<p>The world over, we've seen ourselves in these birds.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Souvenir Snatcher"></div></div>
<p>In this series, we put two decks into one. This usually presents as a deck's theme being streamlined slightly, so as to accommodate the inclusion of a secondary theme, and it's the goal of the experiment to try and reconcile these two fractions. Sometimes we find unexpected synergy, and other times, things prove a little too jarring. Rarely, we tap into an unexplored theme - a combination of cards that we don't see in tandem with any statistical significance on EDHREC - either because it's perceived as too difficult to make a small or unsupported theme shine, or simply because it's weird and unwieldy.</p>
<p>And no, this one doesn't involve <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/birds">Bird tribal</a> (although plenty of our creatures are technically going to be Birds). Instead, we'll focus on those uncanny totems that are still erected to this day, as if the warding charms of men might have anything of import to say to the crows. More often than not, I see common ravens perching on the stiff limbs of scarecrows, unafraid of whatever repellent qualities the straw might have. Like they might be mocking us. Or perhaps <em>teasing</em> is a better word, as I've never detected malice in crows - only trickery.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trickery Charm"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Problem Solving</h2>
<p>It's no great secret that crows and ravens are up to more than they let on, as anyone who has had their things tampered with by the birds can attest to. Once, when I was on the Channel Islands off the coast of California, I saw a common raven descend upon an unattended backpack in the campgrounds, unzip the largest pocket with its beak, and <em>steal a cell phone</em>.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what it needed a smartphone for, but it stands to reason that these birds have a multifarious toolbox. Thus, we arrive at "charms" tribal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crosis&#039;s Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bant Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos Charm"></div></div>
<p>So without any further obfuscation or meandering rumination, this is a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/scarecrows">Scarecrow tribal</a> list helmed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, reinforcing his legion with an armory of <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=charm+type%3Ainstant">charms</a>. Charms in <em>Magic</em> typically belong to cycles, each finding their identity in their modality. These modal cards are multitaskers, much like the cycle of commands.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atarka&#039;s Command"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Profane Command"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptic Command"></div></div>
<p>Note the difference: the Charms grant us one of the modes, while the Commands grant us two. (Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sublime Epiphany" href="#" target="_blank">Sublime Epiphany</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us all of them.) Since this is a <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/wubrg#">WUBRG</a> list, and the charms tend to demand a little more color (and since crows are <em>charming</em> - come on, they're dressed in all black, so they're ready for any formal event!), we'll exclude the Commands and take advantage of our rainbow identity.</p>
<p>Okay, justifications aside, let's see how this works.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Reaper King Charms" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Reaper King
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Brass Herald
*1 Cairn Wanderer
*1 Chainbreaker
*1 Changeling Outcast
*1 Changeling Titan
*1 Elvish Harbinger
*1 Faerie Harbinger
*1 Fang Skulkin
*1 Farmstead Gleaner
*1 Flamekin Harbinger
*1 Graveshifter
*1 Impostor of the Sixth Pride
*1 Irregular Cohort
*1 Jawbone Skulkin
*1 Jousting Dummy
*1 Lockjaw Snapper
*1 Mirror Entity
*1 Mothdust Changeling
*1 Scarecrow
*1 Scaretiller
*1 Scuttlemutt
*1 Shell Skulkin
*1 Signpost Scarecrow
*1 Tatterkite
*1 Taurean Mauler
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Unsettled Mariner
*1 Valiant Changeling
*1 Venomous Changeling
*1 War-Spike Changeling
*1 Webweaver Changeling
*1 Wild-Field Scarecrow
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Kindred Charge
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Armillary Sphere
*1 Birthing Boughs
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mirror of the Forebears
*1 Pillar of Origins
*1 Soul Foundry
*1 Star Compass
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Abzan Charm
*1 Bant Charm
*1 Crosis&#039;s Charm
*1 Darigaaz&#039;s Charm
*1 Dromar&#039;s Charm
*1 Esper Charm
*1 Golgari Charm
*1 Grixis Charm
*1 Jeskai Charm
*1 Jund Charm
*1 Mardu Charm
*1 Naya Charm
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Rith&#039;s Charm
*1 Simic Charm
*1 Sultai Charm
*1 Temur Charm
*1 Treva&#039;s Charm
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Dictate of Karametra
*1 Etchings of the Chosen
*1 Kindred Discovery
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Exotic Orchard
*5 Forest
*5 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*5 Mountain
*6 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Sulfur Falls
*5 Swamp
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Distracted by the Shiny</h2>
<p>As you can see, this deck can do a lot of very specific things. Did our opponent field infinite creatures? Let's kill them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Do our creatures represent lethal damage, but our opponent have a ton of blockers? Clear the way with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can burn, we can heal, we can deal with all manner of permanents. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out, we're basically playing hard control. And of course, like any decent control deck, the win conditions are... lacking.</p>
<p>Fielding a bunch of unimpressive Scarecrows and lording over them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brass Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Brass Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etchings of the Chosen" href="#" target="_blank">Etchings of the Chosen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can slowly turn the tide in our favor, and we have a fair bit of countermagic available to protect us from board wipes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the only tool in the list that will win us the game out of nowhere - "Out of nowhere" used here to mean "once we have an already-established board presence."</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brass Herald"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etchings of the Chosen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Charge"></div></div>
<p>Outside of our charms, we also have a good deal of utility in our creatures, and our harbingers can fetch them for us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamekin Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Flamekin Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would all make excellent crows. However, there aren't really any game-winning fetch targets. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Entity" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Entity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get it done, but we still need a wide board state, and plenty of mana ready. Thus, our Charms can help loot for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treva&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Treva&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sultai Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Sultai Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help to that end - and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can pull anything back from the graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Harbinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faerie Harbinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flamekin Harbinger"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This is a quirky deck, but crows are quirky birds. I mean, have you seen them walk? Look, if you want a deck with 30 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Despair" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Despair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s in it, and with only a couple meaningful win cons that you have to really dig for and score off oddly specific multitools, then this is the deck for you. It should prove shiny enough to keep our attention for a little while, at least. That is, until the next unattended backpack shows itself, zippers alive with light.</p>
<p>That's it for this installment of <em>Dual Shot</em>! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly popular commander, with just over 1,000 lists on EDHREC. What strange shenanigans have you gotten up to with our pumpkin-crowned liege lord? Or, perhaps a more interesting question: what are some of the weirder interactions you've seen with Charms, Commands, or modal cards in general? When did those more specific modes come in handy? Let us know in the comments below! See you soon - the next experiment doesn't look too far off, as the crow flies.</p>


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